Ben herded the kids upstairs and was jumped by Karen and Penny when he entered the living room. He hugged them back and kissed their cheeks after they kissed his. He assured them he was much better and they stopped clinging to him.

Frank and Jayden came over to shake his hand.

"I'm really sorry I wasn't more help in that fight," Jayden said with an embarrassed wince.

Ben had pushed the event of the fight into the back recesses of his mind after enduring his painful week in the hospital. It had been the trigger for the entire ordeal. He twitched as it all came crashing back and his...